The Night Between
by babyphd
Summary: Abbey reflects on some significant events of the White House years during their last night. Part 2 of 3 of the The Night series.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Abbey's POV:

I sigh as my eyes fly open. 'Too early. Way too early.'

The early dawn's light seeped through the curtains. A quick glance of the clock showed 6:45. Even the alarm wouldn't go off for another half hour.

A cold draft eases its way over my naked body. I snuggle down further in the covers and pull the blanket a bit closer.

My nakedness is a leftover from our celebration last night. Jed had been so depressed when I had first seen him in the Oval but then something happened. He had changed. His attitude changed from darkness to light. From down to up. And he had a look on his face that I had never seen before.

And he was frisky. We stayed at the goodbye party for the staff for about an hour until his nuzzling my neck had finally warmed my body to the liftoff threshold. It was time to go. For both of us.

And go we did. A bottle of chilled champagne was waiting our arrival but it still sits unopened on the coffee table.

The minute the door was shut he attacked me. I remember the exact scene:

Walking over to me, he pushed me back on the bed. "I've been waiting all night to do this," as he locked his lips over mine. I sure as hell didn't fight him. But then as he pushed his fingers into my opening, I pushed him off and said, "Wait!" I'll never forget the stunned expression on his face. I couldn't help but laugh when he whined "Abbeyyyy. Why are you stopping me?" He was so cute.

"I'm stopping you because we need to lose the clothes. And make love, Jed, not just screw your wife."

"The President wants his First Lady."

"Well the President can have his First Lady but he has to lose the clothes. The First Lady doesn't want any more fabric burns."

Within minutes we had both lost the clothes and proceeded to make passionate love. Several times. In fact, I don't think either one of us went to sleep much before three. Yeah, he might be over sixty but the man still has the power.

'Oh, God what power', as I stretch and relive the complete feelings of love and satisfaction.

I smile as I turn over to see my sleeping husband flat on his back, the sheet barely covering his bare chest. His steady breathing telling me that he's still asleep.

He's still the same guy he was eight years ago. A little grayer, a little more weight, but Thank God! I'm taking him home today. At times I wasn't sure that I would be able to get him out of here in one piece. All the disturbances and interruptions. The late night calls. The early morning wake-ups. All the disturbances that come with being President.

No disturbing him this morning.

For the first time in eight years there would be no early morning staff meeting.

No early morning call to the Situation Room.

No phones or knocks disturbing both their dreams.

His last morning as President. My last morning as First Lady. In a matter of hours we will be on our way to Manchester for the final time. And this time we will stay forever.

Eight years in Washington.

How quickly they have passed.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Mrs. Bartlet, I'm Nancy Thomas, your Social Secretary. We need to determine which causes you want to champion and what groups you prefer to speak to. We already have over five hundred invitations from groups anxious to have you speak to them. That'll cover the first six months. And then there'll be the foreign trips and the state visits and the…"

"Whoa, Nancy. I've only been at the White House for like, two days. I need to get a handle on what I'll be doing." Abbey sipped her coffee from a mug with the seal of the President. "And get me a more normal looking mug will you? I don't need all the trappings of the office to follow me around."

"Yes, ma'am. You and the President will have your first state dinner in two weeks. The menu has to be chosen as well as the flowers. The State Department has the guest list ready for your approval. And I have to know which gown you'll be wearing so I can make sure the Prime Minister's wife doesn't clash with you and…"

The phone rang and Abbey gratefully picked it up. "Hello?"

"Abbey, how are you doing?"

She motioned for Nancy to leave and remained quiet while the door was shut behind her.

"Oh Jed, I have to pick flowers out for the State Dinner and they want to know what causes I prefer and which gown I'm going to wear to what function. I mean 'major' decisions," she replied sarcastically. "How about you?"

"It's cool. You ought to see the little room between mine and Leo's office. I can hide in it if I need to get away. It's so cool. And Mrs. Landingham is already angry at me because I can't seem to operate the intercom system."

Abbey laughed. "Well, hon, you'll get the hang of it. If you don't, just yell. I'm sure Delores will love that."

"Yeah, right. She keeps threatening me with a salad if I don't behave."

"Well, then behave. You know how good she is about carrying out her threats. Will you be home for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know. I'll call later. One more thing…has Zoey gone back to Manchester yet?"

"Yeah. She left with her agents this morning. She had to get back to school. I had hoped she would transfer down here but she insists that she wants to stay up there. But she's done so well this last year during the campaign I don't want to upset her by insisting that she come to school down here. Maybe she'll change her mind later."

"Hope so. I would love for her to be here with us. Hon, Leo is motioning to me. Gotta go. Love you."

"I love you too, Jed."

Turning her attention to her duties, Abbey sighed. She already missed the hospital and her practice. But she knew she could come back to it anytime she wanted. She at least had her license. That was of some comfort.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Jed, I'm so sorry about that ship. There was nothing you could do."

They were getting ready for bed after the State Dinner for the President of Indonesia. In the middle of that dinner Jed had been told that a Class 4 hurricane was bearing down on a fleet of ships off the Virginia coast trying to outrun it.

Getting no response, she looked for her husband and found him in the bathroom, his arm supporting himself against the wall, his head bowed and his eyes closed.

"Jed?"

"Yeah?" never turning his head to look at her.

She gently placed her arm on his shoulder, trying to share some of his heavy burden.

Softly she spoke. "Jed, they'll be okay. Those are big ships and they can weather any storm."

Still no response from her distraught husband. She took her arms and turned him away from the wall, trying to encircle his body and provide some support in his time of anguish.

"Jed, hon, it'll be okay. I bet right now they're notifying Fleet headquarters that they're fine and the ships are underway back to port."

This is what she hated the most. The nights that the country lost citizens, either through a battle or a rescue operation or just from nature's wrath. Jed deeply cared for each and every man, woman and child in the country and personally felt the anguish when one was lost. In the two years of his Presidency, this had happened too many times. Sometimes Abbey could be there immediately to try and help him through. Sometimes, separations required her to try and relieve his guilt and despair through the phone. In either case, it was important to her to share some of his burden. To give him hope when she could and to comfort him when she couldn't.

Turning to look into his wife's caring green eyes, he spoke with possible hope, "Do you really think so? You're right. Those are aircraft carriers and they're really big ships. But that boy on the maintenance ship, Abbey, he can't be over twenty years old. Liz is older than he is. He has his whole life ahead."

"Jed, listen to me. You didn't order these ships to leave port. It was the normal routine so they wouldn't be damaged during the storm. Nobody could have known that the storm would change course and head directly to where the fleet was located. Nobody. Including you."

There was silence between the two of them for a few moments.

"Get undressed and come to bed. I'll rub your neck. Your muscles seem awfully tight."

Leaning backwards, Jed stretched and realized that he was tight. Maybe a massage would get his mind off the fate of those ships and the hundreds of crew members aboard. "Okay, I will. Give me a minute."

"Fine. Let me go change clothes."

As Abbey turned to leave, the phone rang. Jed grabbed it and shouted "What!"

Abbey held her breath.

"Thanks, Leo. I appreciate the news." Hanging up the phone he turned to Abbey and smiled. "They're all okay. They're heading back to port now."

"Thank God!" She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I care for you because you care so much. Now, how about that massage?"

"Absolutely."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Knock! Knock!

Abbey sighed. She was just getting relaxed after a busy day and waiting for Jed to come back from his Town Hall meeting so they could have dinner.

She was tired. Two years of this rat race was beginning to take its toll. Long trips separated them for days. Crazy schedules for the both of them. Interrupted sleep with a trip to the Situation Room. If this stress didn't bring on an MS attack, then nothing would.

MS. Multiple Sclerosis.

So far, they had been able to keep it from the public. Leo had to be told after Jed's little incident in the Oval Office. Thank God that only turned out to be the flu. But the next time…

Abbey refused to dwell on the next time. Day by day. That's all she could deal with realistically. He had remained healthy for the most part since then. And she prayed that he would stay that way until his term was over.

One term. That was the deal. The deal they had made many years ago when Leo had first approached him for running for the Presidency. Many an argument later they had compromised. Abbey would give her permission for his candidacy and if elected, then he would only stay one term. And she was going to hold him to it.

Knock! Knock!

Abbey got up and went to the door. Opening it, she saw the head of her detail obviously anxious about something.

"Yes?"

"It's the President, ma'am."

Abbey's heart stopped. "What about the President?"

"There was a shooting at the Newseum and we have a report from Agent Butterfield that he is being taken to the hospital."

Abbey's hand flew to her heart. "How bad? And my daughter?"

"We don't know, ma'am. We have orders to take you directly to GW."

Abbey's feet hesitated for a fleeting second before taking flight down the stairs.

"Hang on, Jed. Please God, watch over him. I love him too much to lose him now."

She ran through the halls, her heels clicking on the floor, her mind racing with medical knowledge and her heart beating with hope. "I love you, Jed. I love you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Millie, why are you calling me? You're on Air Force One aren't you? Heading to China?"

"That's right Abbey. But I need to tell you something. It's Jed."

Abbey's heart stopped and she was at a lost for words. 'Of course, why else would she calling me here in India. I hate to hear those words. It's Jed. What's happened now? I know he was having the signs of a relapse before I left but he was getting better. He told me that he was. LIAR!'

"Millie, tell me exactly what has happened. Let me talk to Jed."

"He's asleep right now."

"Millie! Quit stalling. You have to tell me what's wrong? Is it the MS? Are his symptoms worse?"

"Abbey, he's paralyzed."

Silence echoed across the phone line.

"Oh God! He's never been so sick before." Tears formed as she realized her greatest fear had come true.

"Millie," Abbey said quietly. "Tell me everything. And I mean every thing. Can he breathe okay?"

"For now. His legs started feeling numb and he lost all the feeling below his waist. Then a little while ago he couldn't raise his arms. I had to feed him. Oh, Abbey, if you could have seen his eyes. They were so full of fear, of embarrassment. Here was the most powerful man in the world having to be fed as if he was an infant. But at least it was just me in there with him."

"What treatment have you started?" Abbey smothered her emotions for a moment.

"I started an IV because he was getting dehydrated and put some steroids in there. I'll check on him in a few minutes but he was sleeping at my last check."

"Okay. I'll make plans to come back to Washington immediately."

"Abbey…"

"Oh God, Millie. Don't tell me he's going on to China. He has to be in the hospital and get the medical care he's going to need."

"Well, I won't tell you then. He was adamant that we go on to China and the summit."

"I'll kill him. I swear to God I'll kill him."

Taking a deep breath, she tried to maintain a sense of calm, even through the tears that were forming a lake in her eyes. "I'll see you when you land. And will you tell Jed something for me?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Tell the jackass that I love him. I love him very much. Will you tell him that please, Millie?"

"Of course, Abbey. See you in a few hours. Bye."

As Abbey hung up the phone, the tears finally fell. 'Jed, I always told you this job would kill you. I guess now you'll have to listen to me.'


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Abbey's POV:

My fingers sifted his graying chest hair. I have always loved a hairy man. And Jed Bartlet has been so proud of his hair. Turning silver has only made it sexier to me.

My fingers move over the scar as a shudder runs though my body. The act of mad men, Ron said. I could have lost him that night. But I didn't. He's okay now and going home with me.

I move my lips to kiss his nipples and I feel him stir beneath me.

I look up and note his open eyes and his beaming smile.

"Good morning, Mr. President."

"Good morning, First Lady."

"That's almost the last time you can call me that."

"Yeah." He extends his smile as I snuggle next him. I feel his hand sifting though my hair. I feel the warmth of his body spread through my very soul.

"Jed, are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, I'm ready. More than ready. I'm ready to sleep late with you by my side every night. I'm ready to decide what I want to do, not what somebody else put there. How about you?"

"Oh, so ready. Don't get me wrong. I've loved the time I've been here. I have helped so many people, even if it was only to give them hope that somebody cared. But I want to sleep by your side every night and get up when I want to. I never want to travel again. I want to be around for our children and grandchildren to visit and have family outings without half the Secret Service around. I want to cook your meals for you. To snuggle up next to you on the sofa and watch old films without worrying about a phone call that would take you away from my embrace. Yes Jed, I'm ready."

I move my head so I can see into the deep blue pools that have always fascinated me. Even the burdens of the Presidency haven't dimmed the shine that attracted me to them so many years ago.

The urge to kiss is strong. The urge is beginning to overwhelm me. So I lean in and force his mouth open so I can explore its never ending depths. I feel his body getting harder. God, what a man.

He pushes me on my back and the sheet drops away. His lips on my nipples send wonderful vibrations through my warming body.

I wish it could always be this way. But age and time has a way of changing things. I'm grateful for what I've been given and whatever challenges there are ahead, we'll get through them together.

Josiah Edward Bartlet. President of the United States. For the next few hours.

Josiah Edward Bartlet. My husband forever.

THE END

Sequel: "The Night After"


End file.
